The removal of hair from the human body has received considerable attention, both for medical and for cosmetic reasons. Various methods exist to remove unwanted hair. Conventional methods focus on mechanical removal and chemical depilation, whereby unwanted hair is removed once it has already appeared above the surface of the skin. Other methods involve the prevention, suppression or retardation of hair growth, by an alteration in the rate and character of hair growth.
Mechanical methods employed for depilation include tweezing, plucking, electrolysis, shaving and X-ray techniques. Tweezing and plucking are of limited utility because their use is confined to a localized area. Electrolysis and X-ray techniques are pain and require the use of expensive equipment, while shaving leads to skin irritation
Chemical depilatory compositions are effective in removing unwanted hair from larger areas on the skin. These compositions typically cleave disulfide bonds in hair keratin, causing the hair fiber to disintegrate. However, most chemical depilatory compositions are strongly alkaline, causing dermal irritation particularly on sensitive facial skin.
At present compositions generally called "waxes" are also used for depilation. These are applied to the skin in a molten state. On cooling and hardening, the wax enmeshes the hair it contacts. The wax is thin stripped from the skin, pulling out the enmeshed hair by its roots. Even though the waxing is longer-lasting than other chemical methods, it is disfavored because of the tendency to cause irritation, swelling or possible burning.
Of the methods employed to alter the rate and character of hair growth, most involve the application of anti-androgens to control dermatological conditions associated with androgen-dependent disorders, such as female hirsutism. However, these methods have undesirable side effects such as systemic anti-androgen effects, teratogenecity and pituitary dysfunction and are, consequently, of limited use.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need to develop a method which is efficacious, easily administered, non-irritating, long-lasting, and can remove unwanted hair and/or regulate the growth of unwanted hair without allowing rapid return growth.
It is an object of the subject invention to provide topical compositions for removing unwanted vellus hair from mammalian skin.
It is further object of the subject invention to provide such compositions which are gentler and less irritating to the skin than existing compositions.
It is also an object of the subject invention to provide methods for removing vellus hair from mammalian skin.
The subject invention involves topical compositions, for removing unwanted hair, especially vellus hair, and/or regulating hair growth in a mammalian susceptible to or suffering from hirsutism or unwanted hair, comprising as in active a sulfhydryl compound in a cosmetically- and/or pharmaceutically-acceptable carrier such that the composition has a pH of 7 or below. The subject invention further involves methods of removing unwanted vellus hair and/or regulating hair growth in a mammalian susceptible to our suffering from hirsutism or unwanted hair comprising topically applying to the skin of the mammalian a "leave-on" composition comprising a sulfhydryl compound in a cosmetically- and/or pharmaceutically-acceptable carrier such that the composition has a pH of 7 or below.